


And This is How it All Begins

by Lotto95



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Post-Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-09 02:32:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14707434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lotto95/pseuds/Lotto95
Summary: There’s mascara running down Emma’s face, and Regina smudges it with her thumbs. She’s flushed red, her eyes puffy, and the perfectly done hair is starting to lose its edge. Emma looks like a disaster, a beautiful one. “Please,” she whispers, bottom lip trembling and Regina wants to know what straw had snapped for Emma to come undone.Post 7x22





	And This is How it All Begins

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't watched any of season 7 other than the swan queen scene, so it might not follow on exactly, but it does lead on a little while after the coronation ends, because a soft moment between them is what we deserve!

It had been _perfection._

Not the ceremony. Or the way Snow’s breath had caught in her throat, or even the eyes in the crowd that had once held hatred morphing to love. Although all those things had been wonderful, what had been special, unique, was Emma stumbling through those doors and stealing her line.

It was the clumsy, flawed, complete idiot of a woman who had withered away; lost in the search for happiness that was never her own. For a long time, Regina had believed all that would remain was the shell of a flawless saviour. She had been wrong. If there was ever a time Regina Mills would admit it, she would take that moment, draw up a document and sign the dotted lines as proof.

Regina shakes the memory free with glittering eyes and scans them around the room. The instant that happens her instincts tingle. The ones relating to Emma that are never wrong. She carefully grips her fingers around the dress and takes a step only to stop herself and take one more look, but she knows she won’t be catching a flash of blonde curls or red leather. Emma had left the grand hall.

There are crowds of people waiting to wish her well and good fortune, but for now she glides past them with the poise of a queen and the softness of family and love on her shoulders. Regina turns to the sound of gurgling, unable to glide past for anything. For as much as she had resented them taking this step, that gorgeous little girl is Emma’s, and she loves and cherishes Hope effortlessly.

With one arm wrapped around the baby, Snow gently tickles her stomach. “Here she is,” she coos, rocking her gently before her gaze lifts. There’s an intense undertone in Snow’s squint and tip of her head. 

Not fazed by it, Regina brushes her knuckle underneath the baby’s chin. “She’s so beautiful,” she whispers, then lets out a chuckle and lifts her head. “Just like her mother,” she says, meeting Snow’s intense gaze without a blink. “I’m trying to find her?”

Snow raises a brow and says far too much with a single expression. “She erm…handed me Hope and said she needed a minute.” Regina nods slowly, wondering if it would be best to allow her that time. “That was thirty minutes ago,” she says, giving Regina a pointed look. Her smirk is mischievous when her hands go around the baby’s waist to lift her so they’re nose to nose. “It’s about time we get to spend some time together.”

Regina places a hand on Snow’s shoulder at the gesture. Everyone is aware of their complicated past, with or without the help of the books to keep track of the details it deems worthy, but no one witnessed the transformation she went through as much as Snow had, who despite what her mind had once told her, had never given up.

The book that tells her story has only a few blank pages left, and unbeknown to Regina, a picture appears with Hope tucked into her grandmother’s arm, Snow’s head twisted towards the person she’d deemed evil then crowned good, a hope speech bursting from her lips, but one silenced by Regina’s hand squeezing gently and a nod. One that informs Snow of the reason the book is coming to an end. Not because their story is, but because a new one is about to begin.

Regina squeezes gently. “I’ll find her,” she says, the eye roll an instant reaction to that phrase by this point. Snow chuckles and lifts the baby to blow raspberries on her stomach. Hope’s giggle reverberates around Regina’s mind as she slips away, heading straight for the large mahogany doors that Emma had burst through hours before.  

“Emma,” she calls, voice echoing around the castle walls. Only the sound of her clipping heels greets her as she quickens her pace. Something’s wrong. Emma had wrapped both arms around her without hesitation and smiled so freely it had seemed – muffled sniffs grow with every anxious step Regina takes.

She rubs her fingers against her sweaty palms and stops walking. Emma’s huddled in a corner. Sat with her side pressed into it as if she’s trying to mould into the brick wall, knees tucked into her chest. A shoulder pushes against the hard surface, a flash of red wrapped around her legs where the blonde locks spread out over her arm. With her face tucked into her elbow and shoulders continuing to shake Emma hadn’t heard her approach.

“Emma,” she says softly, forcing a reassuring smile.

Emma’s red cheeks and puffed eyes peek up. “R’gina,” she says tightly, and her chin quivers. Regina waits with her breath held tightly in her chest. For some reason she had always known tears would accompany their freedom; if they were to ever reach that point. She had hoped – but when is hope ever enough? Not when forces greater than herself were the ones to shape their destiny. Bending it and fitting them into boxes never suited for them.

Emma hiccups and it’s so astonishingly beautiful Regina’s eyes sparkle and beg. “I love you,” Emma chokes, voice breaking and more tears run down the edge of her nose and collect on her lips.

Regina lets out the breath and crouches beside the stone wall. “I love you, too” she whispers, then chuckles slightly, “I always have.” She pushes hair back from Emma’s cheek, cups it, smiles, and allows herself one moment of complete and utter bliss before Emma will undoubtedly break her heart again.

Emma’s eyes close, the pained sobs reducing to even more painful whimpers of abandonment and broken hope. They open, so painfully slowly, until she’s looking right at Regina with an intensity that had been chipped away for everyday she had bent herself to fit someone else’s happiness. “Do we get one?” she asks, voice high pitched and her head tips and the tears start all over again.

The easy smile fades, replaced instead with a need to swallow until the lump is almost gone. “Emma?” she asks, still refusing to believe. Regina gently cups Emma’s other cheek. Her heart doesn’t receive the same message that her mind had, for it speeds up and the beats are intense.  

There’s mascara running down Emma’s face, and Regina smudges it with her thumbs. She’s flushed red, her eyes puffy, and the perfectly done hair is starting to lose its edge. Emma looks like a disaster, a beautiful one. “Please,” she whispers, bottom lip trembling and Regina wants to know what straw had snapped for Emma to come undone.

She wipes her thumb along Emma’s lower lip. Her breath hitches, chest shuddering and she pleads with her eyes. It should be absurd, because the Emma she had met needed saving from no one, but the Emma sat with her dress pooled around her legs is trapped. Regina shuffles onto her knees then tilts her head forwards. Emma inhales deeply through her nose in stuttered breaths, ones that stop a breadth away from their lips touching.

Green eyes slam shut, little water droplets collecting on her eyes lashes the moment Regina presses her lips to Emma’s. She tastes salt and regret, and ignores the fight between what her heart wants and what it knows. Her gaze stays on Emma until fingers tangle into her hair. Her eyes flutter closed like butterflies, entire focus shifting to the softness of Emma’s lips.

Those fingers slide effortlessly free, lips parting with a small pop. “Regina,” she whispers, eyes blown wide open. The gentle caresses to her name lights up Regina’s chest and her traitorous lips don’t give in to doubts.

Emma’s on her knees, wrapping her arms around Regina’s neck. She kisses Emma back and Emma so easily gives up fighting for a person she isn’t, sighing as if she’d been waiting a lifetime for this moment. This kiss is easy, full of passion and unspoken truths. They kiss for every moment missed, lips sliding and hums building, Regina’s arms clutched around Emma’s waist and fingers bunching the white dress beneath her palms.

A soft tension builds between them, twisting through their bodies then bursting from their lips. The rainbow doesn’t stop until they jump apart and stare into each other’s eyes, no longer guarded by apprehension and fear. They chuckle and Emma blinks as if she’s seeing clearly for the first time.

The smile is back, the one Regina wore when Emma burst through those doors and she didn’t attempt to hide her happiness. “It’s always been you,” she tells Emma gently.

Emma nods and swallows, using the back of her palms to wipe away the tears. They start a fresh and for a moment Regina’s heart leaps into her throat, smile being wiped away by the memories of everything that had come before. “We wasted so much time,” Emma says.

Regina’s cheeks push back up and her head shakes. “We’re exactly where we’re meant to be,” she says, hand cupping Emma’s damp cheek. Emma nods and her head gravitates towards the touch, but then her brow creases, bottom lip tugging between her teeth. “I already love her,” Regina whispers. She takes Emma’s hand and their eyes meet.  

Emma’s smile is watery and she shrugs, “I can’t regret Hope.”

“I’m here for both of you. If-” she swallows, takes a moment to understand there will always be the ending where this amounts to Emma reverting backwards. “If that’s what you want.” Emma stays silent and looks to her expectantly. Deep down Regina had always known the reasons Emma had chosen the path she had. Everyone else’s expectations looming heavily until her wants no longer mattered. “Emma, you must know I would choose you a thousand times over? I hope there’s a dozen other Regina’s out there who were smart enough to never let you go in the first place.”

Emma smirks a little. “Maybe there’s a version where we raised Henry together,” she says and no matter if that world existed, Regina is still no fool in this one.

“Emma,” she says softly, “I want both of you.” There’s a smirk on the side of her lips and she chuckles at herself, unable to believe the thoughts running through her mind. “I kind of wish Hope was ours.”

“She can be.” Emma slams her mouth shut and worries her lower lip. Regina looks to her with an arched brow and wonders again what had brought this Emma fighting back. “I mean, you do know…you do know he’s going to be a part of Hope’s life?” she asks and the guilt etches into her eyes. “If he even wants to be,” she mumbles.

Regina nods slowly and knows that’s an unfortunate possibility. “As long as I have you,” she says softly. “And we already make excellent parents, my darling.”

“Yeah.” Her smile grows again, a little lopsided and her eyes sparkle back at Regina as if she had found the universe. Then it falls and something protective is in its place. “I think, erm…for Hook. The thought of a baby is more appealing than the real thing.”

Regina swallows down a satisfied smile and the awful feeling of _good._ No matter what queen she had been crowned she can’t help but be grateful if he were to up and leave them alone for good. “We’ll figure this out,” she says instead, already forming the master plan of wrapping Emma into her arms then kissing her soundly for any time they are in his presence.

Emma chuckles uncertainly, “I guess I’ve got a lot of talking to do.”

“I’ll be here.” Regina helps her stand and doesn’t hesitate to pull her back into her arms. Emma’s chin digs into her shoulder, head tipping to the side to press against her own and hands slide up her back. “What brought this on after all this time?” she asks into Emma’s ear, and pulls back to grab her shoulders.

“I don’t know,” she mumbles. “When you said about second chances, I kinda thought, maybe…maybe we could get one too.”

“And Hope?” she asks, not needing to form it as a question, because she knows the pirate and perhaps he had changed if she squints her eyes whilst looking at an entirely different man, but she can imagine that the fight in Emma had come back to protect her child. Emma just nods, not wanting to broach the subject.

Regina smirks and holds Emma’s hesitant eyes. “I was hoping you would get the hint, Miss Swan,” she says seductively and Emma’s eyes blaze with fire.

“Well than, Madame Mayor.” They link arms, Emma’s face still puffy but her wet eyes light up.

“Ah-” Regina twists her head with a smirk. “I did notice how you verbally told that idiot of yours to shut the hell up.”

“Ex-idiot.” Regina’s eye brows raise, though considering where this is heading that’s hardly surprising. “And erm…if I haven’t been clear. I want you,” she says and ducks her head. Regina tips her head back and laughs, easily leaning into Emma’s side as they walk.

They stop at the closed doors. “Ready?” Regina asks, snuggling into Emma’s side. She nods once and takes a deep breath, reluctantly untangling herself.

Emma lifts her arm to the side. “Shall we?” she asks, and Regina easily slips their hands together. Their fingers intertwine, and Emma’s hand is so soft in hers a moment of regret flashes, but so does an imagine of a beautiful baby girl.

Regina’s entire face is lit up when she brushes her eyes the length of Emma, who not only misses it, but stares blankly at the doors ahead. “I adore you,” Regina says with affection in her tone. Butterflies flap their wings when Emma’s eyes shine. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

Emma swallows and nods a little stiffly. “To second chances,” she says, and Regina squeezes her hand tighter when she echoes the sentiment back. Her thumb brushes over Emma’s hand, eyes not leaving Emma when they push open the doors leading towards their future. And the book comes to an end, those last few pages filled with true love’s kiss, the promise of family and love, capturing the gentle moments in complete contrast to the story that had gone before.

The large doors burst open and they walk into the room hand in hand the same moment a new book begins. All eyes are on them, at the couple that had been inevitable since the start. A million more possibilities open and countless avenues to explore are laid out, but most importantly, this story begins with them together.


End file.
